Never Let You Go
by ren-hatake
Summary: Nikita finds a strange man in her neighborhood. She takes him in and finds out that he is a lot more important than she actually thought. BruceXOC
1. Naked Man

"Kita"

The young woman spun around to meet the eyes of her older brother. Nikita offered him a soft smile as she walked towards him with tired eyes. "Hey" she muttered, "How much did you make today?" with hopeful eyes, she peered up towards her brother hoping he would share some good news with her. They had to make some progress, some money to sustain not only for them, but for their family.

He's chocolate eyes tensed as he ran a dark hand through his jet black hair. Shaking his head, "I barely made anything today" Nikita frowned at the response. That wasn't the answer she was looking for. She wanted a better answer, something to actually tell her family that for once everything was okay.

Pursing her plump lips she hummed, knowing that being in the market business was rough. Especially when more than half of the population was in the same field; being born and raised in the slums of India was always difficult for their family. Nikita was used to the crowded areas and barely having enough room to breathe.

There was no such thing as personal space where she lived. Everyone knew everyone for the most part and the jobs that was offered for the people here wasn't up to par. People are selling whatever they can get their hands on, whether it's from the ground or from the upper side's trash bins, anything that was valuable they would take and sell. They even shined shoes for pay, some even sing, but for the most part those jobs didn't pay as much as anyone would have liked.

Nikita and her brother Raj were the older ones in their family, no one in the slums lived by themselves. Every single one has large families and they weren't an exception; having fourteen people living in one roof can be overwhelming at times. Especially when their so called houses can barely fit them all.

The young woman sighed, rubbing her tired eyes, "Father isn't going to be happy about this"

Raj scoffed as he fell into step with his younger sister, "When is he never upset?" Both can agree that their father wasn't the…optimistic one in their family. After falling terminally ill and can no longer work he has been more than upset. He has been such an angry man for not being able to support his family and had to rely on everyone else to take care of him.

Nikita could see his frustration. She understood where he was coming from and she knew that he was mad at her more than anyone in the family, but she had one of the highest paying jobs in the family. So when Raj asked about her work load, all she did was say, "It paid well. I think we can get feed the whole family today"

"That's good" was his response.

Raj had nothing else to say. Anyone can see that it upset him just as much as their father about her occupation, but what can she do? She has been pushed to a corner and selling scrap metal or shining shoes wasn't going to help support their large family.

It would be nearly impossible.

Nikita looked around the neighborhood she lived in; it was a common and natural atmosphere for her. Seeing that most if not all the houses were made out of extra scrap metal, blankets, towels, and whatever else they could find to build some kind of protection against the harsh weather they had. Her dark green eyes glanced at a few kids playing in some type of dark substance that didn't look all that safe.

The dark ooze was dripping down the child's hand as he smiled in glee at the color; he foolishly put it in his mouth and luckily one of the other kids stopped him from sucking the rest of his hand and made him wash his mouth out.

Nikita shook her head at the sight; it didn't faze her that a child would play with something so dangerous. What else are they supposed to do? There was nothing here except dirt and trash, living in the outskirts of one of the largest cities in India was some sort of torture. Nikita could see from a distance the bright lights of the beautiful city; oh how she wished that she could travel there and just have an experience of what it would be like to live in that environment.

She would never go there, even if it was such a short distance away. No one sane would anyways, just look at her. The tattered dress that clung to her skinny grimy dirty figure, her dark brown hair that was matted down and oily, and her caramel skin was darker than most due to being out in the sun most of the time.

As they were traveling down the street, Raj and Nikita were planning on buying the food with the money they earned that day when something passed the young woman's eye. Curiosity struck her when she saw a large limp figure in an alleyway; from an angle she can clearly see someone in there.

When she stopped to stare at the unknown figure, Raj stopped as he felt no one walking beside him, "Kita, what's wrong?" he questioned. He furrowed his brows as he walked back towards his sister who was standing in the same spot she halted at. Her eyes held curiosity as her feet started to take small steps towards the alleyway.

"Kita" he called out again, hoping that she would snap out of whatever trance she was in.

Nikita continued walking towards the alleyway until she was right in front of the figure, her green eyes widened at the sight. "Ki-what the hell?" she heard Raj mutter. Heat rushed to her cheeks when she realized that the man in front of her had no clothes on, casting her gaze away from the man she could hear her heart pounding in embarrassment.

Trying to recollect her thoughts, she felt Raj pulling her arm, "Let's go Kita"

"What?" she spun her head around in shock, "But he's hurt! We can't just leave him here!" she hissed in protest. Nikita tugged at her arm for him to release her, but he kept a tight grip as he yanked her arm the opposite way.

"I don't think it would be wise to bring him with us."

"Why not? There's a reason why he is in an alleyway naked-"

"Exactly" Raj cut her off, "Think about it. We don't know what happened and he could be some serial killer for all we know. It would be best to leave him here. He is a grown man; he can take care of himself"

Nikita pursed her lips as she tugged at her arm, "Even grown men need help sometimes and I can't just leave him with a clear conscious. Please Raj, just this once. Let's help this man" she pleaded, begging with her eyes. Nikita was always the kind soul that would take a stray in whenever she could, but her lack of judgment was what got her in trouble.

Raj didn't trust the unconscious man. Everything about him was telling him to throw his sister over his shoulder and abandon the man. Something about him was telling him that he would be nothing but trouble. That all changed when he looked into the eyes of his sister, those green eyes that can convince him to do anything if she pleaded enough. The older man frowned at his decision, "Fine" he grumbled, "But you are telling father and mother what you have done"

"Deal"

Nikita moved to the side as Raj found an old tattered blanket on the street and wrapped it around the naked man, from what she has seen, he wasn't injured. Hopefully, he was just exhausted and nothing too serious has inflicted him. After wrapping him up, her brother lifted him up and once he was on his feet, the young woman quickly went to his aid to help boost the man on Raj's back.

Once he was settled, Raj murmured a few words under his breath how ridiculous he looked and how much Nikita owed him for doing something like this. Having a grown man giving another man who is naked a piggy back ride wasn't something he would be proud of. It was damn shameful for Raj to be walking down the street with the man on his back. Nikita was just grateful that her brother was sweet enough to help him and she made sure that the blanket stayed on his figure the whole time, no need for Raj to be faced with embarrassment.

Once they arrived at their home, Nikita lifted the blanket from the entry way while Raj swiftly stepped in looking for a spot to lay the man. "Where should we put him?" Nikita frantically looked around to see if there was any place where they could put him.

It was a tight fit, but the only spot she could think of was her own space. "Put him where I sleep" she suggested.

Raj complied as he walked towards her spot and attempted to lay the man down with the blanket, "Turn around" Raj demanded. When Nikita spun away from the men she could hear the blanket being removed and when she was given the okay to turn around, she saw that he was covered in one of their own blankets. As filthy as most of their things are, the blanket they found on the street wouldn't be a smart decision to take, throwing it out on the street they turned back inside, staring at the man before them.

"What should we do now?" Raj asked.

Nikita bit her lip, "We should check if he's okay."

"_You_ should check if he's okay. I've done my part." He grumbled, obviously over the fact of being a saint and helping a complete stranger. This was where he drew the line; he didn't want to help anymore. When and if the man wakes up, it would be time for him to leave once they know he's alright, but for Nikita, her worrisome mind wouldn't allow her to let him be.

Her mind was racing as her eyes scanned his covered body wondering if he was alright. It took Raj a while to convince her that he was alright and they should wait for him to wake up before doing anything. They weren't doctors and helping him might hinder his recovery even more.

So Nikita let him be.

She still kept an eye on him; Nikita finally got a good look at his face. From what she can see, his tan face was covered in sweat and dirt, his dark hair was matted down to his head and there were streaks of grey in his hair indicating that he was a much older man, unless he was a very stressed out man. He probably was. Why would he be naked in an alleyway for?

She can picture that his eye color was probably brown because of his features; he looked relaxed while unconscious, younger than he actually looked. Nibbling on her lip, Nikita wondered what kind of man was wandering around the slums when clearly someone of his…_race_ can afford to be in the richer part of the city, instead of the outskirts of it.

"Nikita" Raj said her eyes glanced to the side as she hummed a response.

"We should go buy the food before everyone comes back."

It was slightly peculiar that everyone was out of the house all at once; usually when Raj and Nikita arrived home their father and a few of their relatives would be sitting around watching television. Not today, no one was home. She guessed that maybe they had something to do or was aggravated that they had _nothing_ to do. The elders in her family could get pretty restless along with her father by doing nothing, but sit around all day and watch television.

"Someone needs to watch him" Nikita responded.

She wasn't going to leave him here alone. What if someone from her family came back? Everyone would be freaked out by the naked man sleeping in their house. Raj frowned at her answer, "I guess we better hurry. I can't go on my own. I need an extra pair of hands"

Raj was right.

Since she had extra money today, she had to come; it was only right for her to spend her own money and help him with all of the food that they were going to buy today. Guilt ran through her, completely torn over staying and going. Raj could see her confliction and grabbed her by the arm, "If you keep thinking about it, there is a bigger risk of someone coming back when we are gone."

Nikita let him drag her away and with a quiet, "Okay" she left. The brown haired woman had to rely on her brother's strength to drag her away from the stranger in their house. There was some type of connection with him when she saw him, maybe it was pity. Who knows, but she didn't want to abandoned him and fighting for him to stay will be difficult once her family came back home. Nikita quicken her footsteps as she started to drag Raj towards the market to buy the food; they didn't have a lot of time before their family arrived home.

Having the poor man being kicked out into the streets again, that is the last thing she wanted. Nikita started picking things as they arrived at the market, giving the sellers the money. "Kita, slow down; we need to figure out what we need"

Raj looked at his sister as she mindlessly started picking things and putting it in the basket they carried with them. "No time" was her response. He sighed, following her around making sure that she spent her money wisely and on occasion he would step in and tell her it was too much or not enough on certain things. Nikita flew through the market before bolting back home, she was getting more nervous as the sun was setting.

Nibbling on her lip, she started to jog towards her house with Raj trailing behind her. _Don't be there. Don't be there, please don't be there._ She thought. Nikita opened the flap of their house as she looked around and froze when she heard a deep voice to her right, "Nikita"

Her green orbs moved in the direction of the voice to find her father sitting next to the stranger with his arms crossed and a deep frown on his face. Nikita's heart dropped seeing that most if not all of her family was here, surrounding the man, wondering what he was doing here. She could feel Raj standing behind her; it wasn't as comforting as she thought it would be.

Her father kept staring straight at her; it was like he knew that this wasn't Raj's doing. It had Nikita's signature written all over it. "You have a lot of explaining to do" Nikita bit the inside of her cheek as she cowered towards her brother that was right behind her, she could feel his reassuring squeeze as she watched her father stand up and walking out of the house. The young woman could hear the murmurs of her family as they kept glancing at the unconscious man in their house, her mother gave her a look to follow her father if she wanted to stay in this house.

Finally obeying, she walked outside shyly afraid of what was going to happen.

* * *

I know. I know. I have an Iron Man story that I should be working on, I just couldn't get this story out of my head. After watching The Avengers, I just fell in love with Bruce and basically all of the men. They are just amazing haha. Don't worry though, my IM story will continue, I am working on it as we speak. My final week of school is next week so after that, hopefully I will be able to update a lot faster since I am motivated to fly through IM and IM2 so I can get to The Avengers part for the story. I have so many ideas for it and so excited. I hope you like this new story just as much as my IM story. :) Please review!


	2. Bruce Banner

"What were you thinking? Bringing a stranger into the house? A naked man, no less?" Kallol lectured as he stared at his daughter. He wanted to know what was going on in that little brain of hers that made her think it was okay to bring someone into the house when they weren't around.

Nikita bit her lip as she wring her hands, "I-I don't know"

"You do know" he pushed, "you and me both know you are lying."

The young woman didn't know what to do. She knew that if she told her father that she just felt bad for the man that was in the alleyway, he wasn't going to show his compassionate side. At this point, she doubted he was going to show compassion towards this man. Nikita had to step up if the man was to stay under their household.

"I couldn't let him stay there. He was alone, bruised, and naked. There was no way I was going to turn a blind eye to that. Please understand, papa" Kallol stared at his little girl, seeing that she truly believed that she has done nothing wrong.

He sighed, rubbing his temples, "I'm sorry, but he cannot stay"

Nikita's shoulders slumped, "Please! We can't just abandon him! _**I**_ can't abandon him…just until he recovers. It won't be long" she promised. It was an empty promise. She didn't know if he was going to wake up soon or if he had injuries beyond their knowledge. It was a blind promise and Kallol hated that her promise wasn't one hundred percent.

"You won't even have to lift a finger. I will take care of him." she reassured her father.

There was no way she was going to abandoned this man; he just looked so beaten and worn out from wherever he came from. Nikita stared at her father's reluctant face, the lines around his mouth creased even more making him look older. Letting out a sigh, he limped towards his daughter, "If he harms anyone in this family-"

"I know papa." She muttered.

Kallol grunted, turning away from his daughter, "He better not cause any trouble." Finally leaving her in peace; she was glad that he gave her the benefit of the doubt, but now she had to convince her mother and grandmother that the stranger wasn't going to be their problem. He was **her** problem and she was fine with that. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the tattered entryway to see that her family was still huddled around the stranger and one of her younger brothers glanced up at her with a question, "Who is he?"

"I don't know." Nikita answered.

It was a good question and seeing Raj and some of the older family members giving her a look was more than evident they think it was a horrible idea bringing a stranger into their house. They can barely feed the whole family and having an extra mouth to feed would be horrendous for all of them.

Her mother, Somya, and grandmother, Pavi, were giving her disapproving looks, but stayed silent. They both knew that Kallol has said everything that needed to be said. Nikita avoided their gaze as Pavi spoke up to the younger kids, "Come children. Let's go eat. Nikita has some work to do." Nikita pursed her lips as she felt her younger siblings give a final glance at the stranger before getting up with the two older women of the house and following them outside.

Somya halted right beside her daughter as she said, "I can't believe you are willing to put a burden on this family, Nikita. How selfish of you."

"He's not your burden to bear, mother. He's mine." Nikita countered softly. She knew that her mother said it out of the goodness of her heart, maybe derailing Nikita's plans of helping this lost soul. It was inevitable; she was stuck with this man because her heart simply could not turn away.

Somya sighed as she flicked her peppered hair back from her face, "If you need me to look out for him while you are at work, just inform me before you go."

The young woman smiled as she thanked her mother, "Don't thank me. I just want him out of my house as soon as possible." Somya's cold demeanor didn't cloud up Nikita's heart as she nodded and listened to what her mother had to say. She knew of the situation they were living in and placing another man's life into her hands and her hands only was a lot to bear.

Watching her mother walk away, she sauntered over to the small living room that had buckets piled up on the side. Nikita knew that she had to clean him up, as embarrassing as it was. She had to do it on her own, so she walked to the nearest well and filled up the bucket as much as possible and walked home.

Ignoring her family's gaze, she grabbed a rag from around the house and dipped it into the cool water. With a shaky breath, she started to clean his body from head to toe; her eyes would always stay on his face, chest or a part of his leg and nowhere near his private parts. Nikita didn't want him to feel exposed when he did wake up.

She hoped he woke up.

It would be a shame if he was dying from some kind of illness and she took him in for no reason at all. Her family stayed away from the man after that day, not knowing what diseases he carried. They didn't want to risk it, giving her warnings every minute they passed by, she didn't care. Nikita had a responsibility to fulfill and she wasn't going to stop because of the possibility of catching what he might have.

To be living in the slums of India, it was fairly easy to catch a simple cold or flu that could turn deadly without the proper hygiene or medicine, which everyone lacked in this area. Also there was a high responsibility of the young ones to maintain their health so they can keep working to help sustain the family's needs. There was only one person that was ill in their family and that was her father, Kallol. He didn't have what everyone was catching, he had something worse.

Nikita didn't know what it was, but one doctor said it was terminal and there was nothing they could do. Since that day, everyone has been watching him, making sure that he was okay. No one wanted him to leave just yet. Nikita never wanted him to leave.

Gnawing on her bottom lip, she dried off the man by lightly damping him with a dry towel not wanting to hurt him anymore that he already is. Her small hands hovered over his body as she lightly pressed on his ribcage, chest, neck, arms, and legs to make sure there wasn't any damage. She grew weary and confused to see that this man was not injured at all.

"That's strange."

That just brought up more questions.

What was he doing that had him ended up naked in the alleyway?

Was he drunk?

Was he running away from a gang that he owed money to?

Uncertainty filled her mind as she stared at the older man, the same creases around his face were never relaxed as his lips were in a firm line making her believe he was semi-awake, his pepper hair was now dampened and curlier than it was dry. As she was looking at the man before her, her eyes widened as she heard a groan pass through those lips.

Her lips parted as his eyes were now revealed, muddy brown met her forest green ones. His eyes were groggy as he blinked profusely; her mouth went dry, not knowing what to say first. "Uh, hi there." Another groan passed through his lips as she asked, "Do you know where you are?"

_What a stupid question! Of course he doesn't know where he is!_

It took him a few minutes as he started to push himself up with his arms, Nikita quickly reacted putting her hands on his chest, "Please sir, do-" a surprise gasp left her lips as she felt his hands slap hers away in a panic before he scooted away from her. Nikita stared at him in caution as he finally took in his surroundings.

"Sir?"

His brown eyes finally met hers, filled with confusion and a tight lip, he asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in Calcutta."

"C-Calcutta?" he mumbled to himself, shaking his head in the process as if trying to get rid of some horrible memory. Swallowing the large lump in his throat, his fearful eyes glanced up at the stranger before him, "Calcutta as in Calcutta, India?"

Nikita furrowed her brows as she nodded slowly, "Yes. What else would that mean?"

He didn't answer her question as he started to mumble to himself before looking down realizing what kind of predicament he was in. Shifting under the blanket, he cleared his throat, "Where did you find me?"

"In an alleyway when I was walking home with my brother." The next question made her even more confused as he asked her, "Did you find anything…strange when you found me?" Nikita stared at the older man as he looked at her nervously, wringing his hands, "Other than you being naked…no."

"Okay." he muttered, "That's good."

"I'm Nikita by the way." sticking her hand out for him to shake. She hated how awkward this first meeting was and to be honest she thought he would be less…alert. His eyes kept darting around the small house before his eyes landed back on her form again when she introduced herself. He glanced nervously at her hand before taking it, his large hand engulfing her smaller one, "Bruce. Bruce Banner."

"Nice to meet you Bruce Banner." Smiling at his shy nature.

It was somewhat adorable on the older man and refreshing to see this side of someone other than cocky, confident, and controlling personality. Getting up from her spot, Bruce glanced up at her with caution as she reassured him that she was going to find some clothes for him to wear, so he wouldn't walk around naked all the time.

He blushed lightly, quickly agreeing as he sat sit in the house as she wandered out to ask her father if she can borrow a set of his clothes. Kallol didn't like the idea of sharing his clothes with a complete stranger, but seeing that Nikita convinced him that he more confused than a danger, he caved. Kissing his cheek, she wandered inside to gather the clothes for her new roommate.

"I hope these fit you. They might be a little tight since my father is…smaller than you. My apologies." She muttered.

Bruce lightly smiled at her, "No, thank you for all that you have done for me. I appreciate it." Nikita nodded as she stared at the man openly. Her mind started to wander off, how someone like him can be in a place like this? There were no markings or evidence that he was beaten or something horrible happening to him. Maybe he just wandered here by accident?

"Excuse me?" Bruce's voice brought her back to reality. Nikita looked down at Bruce who shyly looked up at her, "Where can I go change?"

"Oh! I am so sorry! I'll leave so you can…" she waved her hands around as she backed up towards the entrance of the house where her family was eating the food that Raj and herself bought with their money. Heat rose to her cheeks as she sat down next to her youngest brother, Eka, "Was that your boyfriend?" he asked, tearing the hard bread with his teeth. Nikita panicked as she profusely repeated that he wasn't her boyfriend in any way.

"Good because that would have been so weird, to find your boyfriend naked in an alleyway." Jaya added, her sister that was one year younger than Nikita. The green eyed woman glared at her sister before she glanced back to hear footsteps coming closer to the front of the house.

Her breath got caught in her throat as she saw Bruce stepping out in her father's clothes, they were a bit tattered. To be honest, he looked out of place, seeing as the pants didn't reach his ankles and stopped in the middle of his calf while his shirt was a little tight. Nikita knew that it was going to be a tight fit because of her father's weight loss with his illness. She would have asked her brothers to spare clothes, but they didn't have any.

Kallol was the only one because he needed spare clothes the most out of everyone because of his condition. He had to stay as healthy and clean as possible; Nikita refused to have her father wear the same clothes every single day.

She could feel her family's eyes focus on their new visitor as Bruce naturally smiled awkward at the bunch. "Hello." He murmured.

"Bruce. Why don't you sit down and eat with us?" Nikita offered.

She knew that no one else was going to offer, so she took it into her own hands since Bruce _was_ her problem. He took her hint and down next to her, rubbing his hands on his pants as his eyes shifted from one family member to the next. "Where do you come from?" Kallol cut the silence, "I know you aren't from around here with your accent."

Nikita looked at Bruce to see that he was uncomfortable answering the question, but cleared his throat anyways since her father gave him a look to answer or he was going to drill him with more questions, "America."

Kallol scoffed, "Of course. Why is an _American_ doing here in India? Especially in the slums?"

"Papa." Nikita gave her father a look, pleading with her eyes to leave him be. Bruce just shrugged his shoulders and with a deep sigh, he answered, "I wish I knew what I was doing here." That raised more questions for Nikita. Kallol grunted as he popped another piece of bread into his mouth, knowing it was useless asking questions to a man who simply isn't keen on sharing. Bruce wasn't his problem anyways.

What did matter though was Nikita and how kind she was acting around this man. Her gestures were compassionate and sweet…almost too sweet. The way she offered him some of the food that the collected and had a small meaningless one-sided conversation to ease him into the atmosphere was unsettling. Kallol didn't like it at all. He can see that Nikita was growing fond for a total stranger and his jaw tightened when her delicate hand was placed on his shoulder as she gave him a friendly smile.

* * *

Alrighty I want to thank every single one of you for reviewing and those story and author alerts, they mean so much to me :) Sorry it is seems fast with Nikita feeling something for Bruce, it's all for a reason and just because her father sees it doesn't mean she does. So if you guys are worried that they are going to fall in love right away and have babies and all that fun crap, think again. That is **not **going to happen any time soon, so hold on to your panties people haha.

To my reviewers, muchas gracias

**Arinlianette** (This story is different than my IM story, hope you like it and yes Bruce is very smexy indeed)

**anon** (Thank you. I will be sure to update my IM fic soon and hope you read the recent chapter)

**Soup** (I updated just for you! I hope you like this one.)

**BreezeInMonochromeNight** (Thank you for being hooked haha hope you like this chappie)


	3. Distance

It's been around a week since Nikita took Bruce into her home; he has been more than helpful despite what her family thought of him being a burden. Anyone can sense their dislike towards Bruce, so he did the smart thing and hung around his savior most of the time, unless she was working. Bruce doesn't know what she does, but seeing that she brings home most of the money, she was good at her job or did something he wouldn't approve of.

From the week they have been around each other, Nikita got to know Bruce. First off, she was shocked to know that he was a very educated man, a physicist to be exact which made her wonder why or how a physicist got here. What was a scientist doing here?

It got her wondering what else he was holding back since he only told her small little details of his life; she understood why. He barely knew her and sharing too much can be dangerous. It left her pondering a lot of things as she stared at the older man, "Why don't you go back home? I'm sure your family misses you." She asked.

It was a logical question.

Surely, he had a wife and kids at home. He looked like the type of man that would have a growing family and if not, he must have siblings and parents that are worried sick about him. She knew that if any of her siblings have gone missing, she would be worried sick about their well-being.

When she spoke about family, her attentive eyes saw Bruce withdraw even more; his eyes became slightly darker as he pursed his lips. A twinge of guilt ran through her seeing that she hit a nerve, "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that…you can stay as long as you want."

Bruce glanced at her with a wary smile, "You don't have to say that to be kind. I know your family is struggling to feed everyone else and I don't want to over welcome my stay."

"Where will you go?" Nikita spun her body towards Bruce, standing right in front of him, looking into his eyes. Bruce shifted his eyes seeing the emotions running through her dark green eyes, he mumbled, "I was thinking maybe I can open a clinic here. I have seen a lot of damage around the slums and having no health care is the number one cause of death here."

Nikita tilted her head in question, "A clinic? People don't ha-"

"Not all my services will be charged. I will always help someone in need" giving the younger woman a small smile. Nikita wasn't sure if she liked the idea. As much as she liked Bruce, doctors around the slums are conniving weasels; they try to diagnose a patient with the most expensive care for their own benefit. They were so untrustworthy, that Nikita brought her father to five doctors to make sure that he was diagnosed correctly knowing how crooked these slums are.

"You don't look too excited." Bruce said bluntly, "You okay?"

Nikita bit her lip as she shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. A lot of doctors around here don't have the best intentions when seeing the ill and if you open a clinic that means…" she trailed off feeling her embarrassment warm her cheeks.

It was an odd feeling for her to have a small crush on the man that she took in; it was borderline pathetic in her mind. There was no time to have crushes. She had mouths to feed, not be thinking about this man twenty-four/seven. When Bruce saw how shy she has gotten, he wondered what was wrong seeing her face was heating up.

"Nikita…" her heart leapt hearing her name come out of his lips, _damn him._ Nikita jumped when she felt his warm hand on her forehead as it slid to her cheek, "You don't feel hot." He mumbled. The young woman let out a nervous laugh, "It's nothing. Why don't we go see if we can't find you a place where you can set up your clinic? It will be a start, hm?"

Thankfully, it distracted Bruce enough to drop the subject. It didn't take a fool to notice how uncomfortable she was around him and seeing how Bruce doesn't like to push people into telling him what's wrong, he let it go. She will tell him when she was ready.

For the remainder of the day, Bruce and Nikita had been searching for the perfect spot to help build the clinic. Bruce wanted a place that would be easy to find and not so difficult to reach if anyone wanted to see him; was it foolish to think that Nikita wanted Bruce to stay with her family? It was clear that he didn't belong in their household having so many people living in such a small hut. Joy crept into her soul knowing that he had to stay longer than he wanted since they couldn't find a hut for him.

Of course, it was going to take more than a day for him to settle on his own when he did have his own clinic. He would need supplies, food, and other necessities that she would gladly help him gather. When she offered to do those things, Bruce was quite skeptical of how sure she was of getting the things he needed.

When he asked, all she said was she had connections.

As the sun went down, Nikita waved at Bruce as she started her night job. Bruce always wondered what she did during the night; he knew a lot of people worked twenty hours and more to help sustain the life they are living in. No job can provide enough for one day, he knew that much.

Bruce, however, did feel awkward not having Nikita around to accompany him during the nighttime. He would eat dinner with her family and it was obvious that none of them were too fond of him except for the younger ones. They didn't pay too much attention to him and if they did, all they did was given him kind smiles and a few giggles along with a joke they learned that day.

The American sat outside in the bitter cold staring out into the starry sky; he never saw stars like this back in New York City. They were always blocked by the millions of lights that lit the entire city; it was places like this that brought him peace in some sort of way.

There was always that raging monster just seeping into the surface, just barely underneath, begging to be unleashed. Bruce was constantly fearful of anything being a trigger. He wouldn't know what to do if he lost it here, with so many people that live such unfortunate lives. How would everyone react? How would Nikita react?

Even if he didn't consider her a close friend, she was someone that helped him. In his mind, it was foolish to help a stranger, someone like him who deserved to wake up in the middle of nowhere, not sheltered in a loving home.

He didn't know what to think when the first thing he saw Nikita staring down at him. Bruce was taken aback by her beauty, or rather a female. The man doesn't remember the last time he encountered a female that was so close to him. It's been way too long. Sighing, he stretched his legs out as he heard the tarp being moved from the entry way.

Bruce naturally glanced to see who it was and when he saw that it was Nikita's father, Kallol, he stiffened. He sat still as he saw the older man limping towards him, he didn't think the man would want to talk to him or even get near him. Since he arrived at the hut, all Kallol has been doing was giving him the cold shoulder.

Now here he was, walking his way. Once Kallol reached Bruce, he slowly and carefully sat down with a painful groan. Bruce carefully kept on his toes, waiting for Kallol to ask for help, or slip. He knew his boundaries and helping the older man was not one of them.

As Kallol situated himself, he clicked his tongue, "I have been watching you lately and I don't like what you are to my daughter."

Bruce sat in discomfort, the last time he was given a lecture from a man about their daughter, his mind went straight to Betty. He pursed his lips, "Nikita and I are just friends, nothing more." He reasoned. He knew the tone Kallol was using on him; it was the same threatening tone that Betty's father used on him.

"Tell that to Kita. She thinks differently…she's very fond of you." Kallol muttered.

Kallol's experienced eyes watched Bruce's face flush as he tried to justify the younger woman, "She is only being friendly."

"Don't speak of her like you know her. You know _nothing_ about her." Kallol spoke gruffly. The father was growing weary and seeing the bond between the two growing was something he wasn't fond of. He can see how his beautiful daughter was getting more and more attached to this man. A man that would never stay in one place.

He was a wanderer.

Kallol knew that much; he isn't a fool. He can spot a wanderer from afar, but Nikita couldn't. She didn't have the experience that he did and she was blinded by the mere fact that she can have this man to herself and not fear any woman getting near him. Kallol knew that Nikita craved for a man's attention, there was more than one reason why she had the job she did at night.

Bruce stayed silent. Kallol was right, he didn't know anything about her and yet he was talking like he knew Nikita for years. "What is it that you want from me?" there was always a motive behind a man's words. He just wanted to know Kallol's; he needed to hear the words coming out of his mouth.

Kallol didn't waste any time, "I don't want you getting too close to my daughter. Once you set up your clinic, I don't want you around her anymore. She has enough to deal with and having you in her life will only bring heartbreak." Bruce didn't say another word. There was nothing left to say. Bruce was an expert at distancing himself from people; he hasn't really let Nikita in, in the first place so it shouldn't be hard to keep his distance.

"Alright." He agreed.

Kallol gave Bruce a wary look, first not believing he was agreeing so quickly and secondly if he was just agreeing just to get Kallol off his back. He didn't know the man that well to know where he was planning, but he trusted him enough to stay away from his daughter.

"Alright." Kallol ended the conversation as he stood up with difficulty, leaning on the side of the hut; he took a few breaths before he regained himself and walked back inside. Bruce watched him closely once more before looking back at the night sky. Staying away from Nikita shouldn't be that hard…it was Nikita staying away from him that might be difficult.

He could see the attachment she had with him, the way her eyes sparkled when she saw him was clear that she liked him. Nikita was a child compared to him, well, he is assuming with the young face that she has. She was probably no more than in her early twenties.

As he sat there hearing the civilian around him, he heard his name in the distance. Peering up, he saw Nikita with her typical glowing smile as she waved at him. Bruce gave her a smile back as she transitioned into a jog, as she reached him, she sat down next to him giving him a side hug, "What are you doing out here? I thought you would be sleeping?"

He tensed when he felt her arm wrap itself around him for a few seconds before she released him, he played with his fingers as he replied, "Couldn't sleep."

Nikita stared at Bruce, tilting her head to gain more access to his face, "A lot on your mind?" she guessed. She could guess that it was a lot to deal with, being a complete stranger in a country he has never been in and living with people he barely knows. The young woman could sense that he wanted to run, to be anywhere, but here.

"Something like that." He muttered.

The green eyed beauty nibbled on her lip before she stood up and dusted off her tattered dress before offering her hand to him, "Why don't we go for a walk then? To get your mind off things." The smile that was on her face was tempting. Bruce started to think of what Kallol just spoke to him earlier, but actually distancing himself from her at the moment seem a little too difficult and he sensed that Nikita would not take no for answer.

Grateful for her kindness, he took her hand as he lifted himself up, Bruce blushed when Nikita didn't let go of his hand as she dragged him away from the hut. Nikita was aware of her father looking out the window and seeing the interaction between her and Bruce. Honestly, she did not care about what he thought.

Bruce was a friend.

She needed a friend and seeing that he needed one as well, it was a perfect match. Having her hand being perfectly molded onto his seems right. Everything about this felt right. Nikita squeezed his hand in reassurance as she turned to him with a smile, "Want to hear something funny that happened to me tonight?"

"Sure." Bruce responded.

He smiled seeing the way her face lit up as she explained her story and just for a little while longer, Bruce's mind was distracted and he was grateful for that.

* * *

**Thank you so much for all the support for this story. I hope you like this chapter. The Avengers will be coming soon, I want to incorporate that into the story and Nikita will find out soon about who Bruce really is. We will see how everything plans out. I am really excited for this story so please review and share your thoughts!**

**Thank you for your awesomeness  
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**Tiffy1525  
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**anon**

**Arinlianette  
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**kamiccolo's rose  
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**BreezeInMonochromeNight  
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**KenpachiSoulMateKenny  
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	4. In the Nighttime

Walking through the dirty slums, Nikita couldn't help, but smile at how fortunate she was for meeting someone like Bruce. It was like the gods were giving her some type of reward for being the extraordinary daughter and sister she was to her family. Bruce has been nothing short of a gentleman, a little too shy and withdrawn for her liking, but it brings out humanistic traits about him.

Bruce plagued her mind as she let countless men ravish her body for money; it wasn't the most worthy or prideful job, but it paid for food. She had too many mouths to feed and with her along with Raj and the other older siblings, there was so little they can do with raising money to take care of themselves.

It was complete torture since they added more pills to Kallol's regime to help with the swelling in his throat. Kallol was getting worse every day and his body was starting to deteriorate and hearing him wheeze and cough was breaking Nikita's heart. There was so little they can do for him and to be honest, she just wished he would just die to avoid any further pain.

Kallol has been through too much through these last couple of years of this disease that could last anyone a lifetime of pain and suffering. When will it all be over? That was her final question concerning her father. She just wanted it to be over.

While at her job, she wasn't too focused on the men as they slipped their disgusting hands into places she would not be touched, but these men had everything she wished she had. They had money, power, and healthcare that could probably help her father pass away more comfortably. Deep in her heart, she knew his disease was a painful death, but if it eases some of this pain by getting him an oxygen tank she would, but there was no money for that.

"Are you daydreaming on me?" the deep voice above her chuckled.

Nikita's green eyes wandered over to the man on top of her as he halted his movements, she recollected herself, trying to get back into the mood as the fake seductive smile entered her lips. Placing a hand on his cheek, she murmured, "Sorry, I was wondering if I was ever going to see you again since you are the only man that makes me feel this way."

As sickening as that sounded coming out of her mouth, that was one of the few ways she got her clients to keep coming back to her. If her men thought they were the center of her world and was the only one that can make her feel great, then they always came back for more.

One thing she did discover was no matter how much money the men had, if you brushed their egos they are more than willing to come back like a dog. Just need to say the right words and they are all hers. As they resumed their session, Nikita's mind once again wandered as her robotic movements pleasured her client.

Once they were done, she put on her robe as she felt the man walk up to her, slipping the large sum of money into her hand as he breathed on her heavily, "Thanks for the great time, babe. I'll be sure to come back here if I am ever in India again."

Forcing a smile, Nikita responded, "And I'll be here waiting."

Watching the man walk away, she exited the small room as she heard moans from all the occupied rooms. Her green eyes roamed around as she walked down the small dainty hall to see the cluster of girls that were waiting for their next client. A few of them passed glances at Nikita as she walked in, sitting down as she started to put on her clothes again.

She heard a few giggles as one of the girls that actually took pride in her work flaunted what her rich foreign client gave her last night. "He gave me a lingerie set, it felt a bit weird when I tried it on, but then again I am not used to the high quality fabric." When one of the other girls asked what it was made out of, the proud whore replied, "It's lace." With a lustful smile, "So much better than that cotton crap we wear."

Nikita shifted uncomfortably, knowing she couldn't even _afford_ undergarments. All of her money went straight to her family and wearing used undergarments from someone else was more dangerous than having nothing underneath at all. Some of the girls muttered in agreement as they touched the lace, turning green with envy.

It wasn't like Nikita never was offered high quality lingerie because they did. The man a few months ago gave her a good bye present and when she opened the bag it had all sorts of lingerie and silky short dresses that he told her were called nighties from a brand she never even heard of before. It has some woman's name that proclaimed she had a secret? What kind of secret was she hiding? Was all that Nikita could wonder about, thanking him. All she could think about was how much money this could be worth if she sold it.

Her younger siblings needed new clothes for school and her mother needed medical attention during that time for her broken arm, so they needed money for that. Nikita didn't think twice about selling all of her gifts and it paid for all the expenses they were worried about.

Was she ashamed that she was worse off than most of the other girls? Maybe, but she knew that she wasn't the worst of the bunch. Glancing at the eleven and fourteen year old girls that were getting ready for their sessions, it slightly disturbed Nikita seeing how young they were willing to be in this business. She knew it was common for young girls as young as seven to sell their bodies because their families simply cannot afford anything, mostly medical attention.

If she asked every single one of these girls, most if not all would say they were here because someone if not all of their family members need some form of medical attention. Like Bruce said, people in the slums cannot afford to pay for high medical procedures or even small ones like check-ups.

Her dark green eyes focused on the eleven year old girl that was shaking violently as she fixed her dress, Nikita felt like she needed to do something, scooting closer to the girl, she muttered, "That's a pretty dress. Is it new?" the little girl jumped while the fourteen year old scoffed and got up muttering how pathetic the girl was. Nikita frowned at the teen's bitterness before she focused on the small child.

The girl twiddled her thumbs as she whispered, "Yes it is. One of the men gave it to me."

Nikita nodded as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "I know this is scary thing to do, but you are doing this for someone. Am I correct?"

The girl nodded, "My mama…she's sick. In the hospital actually…and she can only stay there if I can get the money and I know this is the easiest way." Nikita nodded grimly, knowing that being in a difficult situation like this was more than unbearable sometimes. There were days when Nikita didn't want to come in and work, but she had to think about her family.

Giving the girl's shoulder a squeeze of encouragement, she said, "If you ever need anything, just ask me, okay? I can help you with whatever you want." Nikita felt like it was her responsibility to be kind and reach out towards this little girl. She was probably the youngest in this brothel and it was always intimidating and scary being here as a child. Seeing things and experiencing things that will probably scar her for life.

So, in order to make this bearable, Nikita thought lending a friendly hand would soften the blow for the little girl. Seeing the girl nod with a tiny smile, she offered her name, "Umika."

"Nikita." Giving Umika a small smile back, rubbing her arm she saw a man walking through the small hallway and the way the little girl was giving him a few glances, Nikita knew that was her next client. "Just take a deep breath and know who you are doing it for." Umika inhaled deeply and exhaled before she got up and walked up towards the man who held a lustful smile.

Escorting him to one of the rooms, Nikita held back a look of disgust. How can a man touch an eleven year old like that? It purely disgusted her that men would stoop so low and think of such things towards a little girl.

"Hi there." Nikita's eyes flickered up towards the voice seeing an older man looking down at her with that same smile every man has here. "Hello back." Watching the man bend down to her level, she held back a smile seeing he was a bit stiff. He was a lot older than what she usually had seeing the white hairs peeking from his skull, reminded her of someone back home…

"Do you think you can help me with this little problem I seem to have? I looked around this place and I think you are the perfect girl to help me. What do you say?" As he asked her what she wanted, Nikita was shocked that he was talking to her this way. Usually, the men walk up to the girl and point saying, "I want you, let's go."

With this man, it seem like she had an option. Nikita never had an option though, glancing at her boss who was giving her a look, the young woman leaned in as she whispered, "I can help you out as long as you want."

By the end of the night, Nikita felt like scrubbing her skin off like every single night. She hated her line of work, but it paid and it paid well. Hating the feel and smell of sex on her skin, she couldn't wait to scrub her body in the small pool of water near her home. Nikita worked later than usual tonight, she had a little bit more clients that preferred her than the rest of the girls which knowingly puts her at being the most hated woman in the brothel at the moment.

It will soon pass and there will be another girl on that list next week. Kicking a few pebbles on her naked feet she wandered slowly toward the hut to see that Bruce was sitting outside in his regular spot. A smile tainted her lips as she questioned, "Is this going to be a regular occurrence? You being out here, all alone?"

Bruce glanced at the smiling woman that was heading his way as he shrugged shyly, "I'm used to be alone so it's a bit weird being surrounded by so many people all the time."

Nikita's heart strings pulled as she heard him confess for the first time that he has been a loner prior to whatever happened to him. A frown was replaced on her lips as she stood right beside him, "And why is that?" Bruce furrowed his brows as he glanced up, "Why is what?"

Nikita tilted her head in curiosity as she asked, "Why have you decided to be alone? I'm guessing this is by choice?"

Bruce pursed his lips, there was no way he was going to open up as to _why_ he preferred to be alone. He didn't want her to discover the kind of monster he was despite the fact that he was supposed to distance himself once he got on his feet. It could be a good reason to have her voluntarily stay away from him; most people avoid him in fear once they discover who he really was.

"It is by choice."

"Why?" the way she said it, pulled at his heart strings. She sounded worried, concerned, and curious as to why someone like Bruce as distance himself from the world around him. He could hear it in her voice as she sat down next to him, "There is no reason why you should be alone. _No one_ deserves to be alone, Bruce." She muttered, placing a hand on his upper arm.

Bruce clenched his fists, his anger started to rise. She had no _idea_ the kind of crap he has been in and yet she was preaching about how no one deserves to be alone. He deserved to have no one. Bruce shouldn't have anyone, friends, family, lover…he deserves none of that. Not after what he has done.

Taking in slow and deep breaths to control the monster within, he murmured darkly, "How can you be the judge of that when you don't even know me? Some people deserve to be alone and I am one of those people."

Nikita shook her head as she moved her hand that was placed on his arm to his cheek, turning it so he can face her watching the love express itself on her face. "I may not know you very well, but you are _human_, Bruce and humans need other humans to survive. Whether you are aware of it or not, people need to interact with other people in order to stay sane."

She remembered when her grandmother wisely told her that when she was a child when she would complain that she deserved to be alone because she was a freak. The kids would tease her because her eye color was different than the rest, she may be as dark and looked like the rest of them, but her eyes weren't the same dark brown color as the rest of the kids. They assumed she was either some bastard child or a freak. She knew what it was like to be isolated and seeing Bruce do that to himself brought back memories.

"You have me Bruce. Whether you like it or not, I'm here for you. I'm _always_ going to be here for you." Her dark green eyes burned into his brown ones. Nikita was serious. She made sure that Bruce knows that he at least had one friend that he can count on. That he wasn't alone anymore.

Bruce didn't know how he felt about that.

Then Nikita smiled once more as she popped back up on her feet, "Do you mind being on the lookout while I take my bath? I don't want anyone peeking." Bruce's face flushed at the mere mention of her taking a bath, stuttering, he agreed as he stood up.

Nikita giggled at his shyness and couldn't help teasing him, "Don't you worry. You won't see anything _unless_ you want to, I don't mind." Seeing his slightly pink face turn red made her grin with satisfaction. As they reached the small pool of water, she told Bruce to turn around. Once his back was facing her, she took off her dress before slipping into the cool water.

Nikita shivered lightly as the sun started to rise up, grateful for the little sunlight, she started to rinse all of the dirt and musk that scented her skin. While she was taking a bath, Bruce's mind tried not to wander towards the girl that was behind him. He knew she was naked, there was no other way to take a bath and hearing the water splashing made it all real for him.

Shifting his weight, he tried to focus as being the lookout for her. Nikita kept glancing up to see if Bruce was peeking, glad he wasn't, and she lightly touched some of the bruises her clients left behind around her hips and thighs. She shook her head; some of them just love to be rough since they cannot be this wild with their partners. As she finished up, she stepped out of the water, wringing her hair out and shaking the excess water out of her body since she didn't have a towel.

Nikita was never fond of putting on her dress when she was wet, but it was the only option she had. Slipping it on, she felt the dress clung to her as she ran her fingers through her hair to get rid of any tangles. "Okay, it's safe to turn around."

When Bruce turned around, he waited for her to reach him before heading back with her towards the house. "Did you find any potential spots for your clinic with Jaya?" Jaya was one of the few family members that can actually be friendly towards Bruce, offered to help him while Nikita was working and she was more persistent on getting the job done than Nikita was.

"Actually, we did. Jaya was really persistent on getting my clinic up and running. She was more excited than I was." He chuckled remembering the enthusiasm beaming in her eyes. Nikita laughed along with him knowing exactly what he was talking about, "She should be. Jaya always wanted to be a nurse."

Bruce's next question was why Jaya didn't pursue her career choice, but seeing the predicament they were in, any form of schooling needed money and no one had that kind of money to put anyone through school. It didn't stop from asking what Nikita wanted to do with her life, "What do you want to pursue as a career?"

Nikita pursed her lips, not knowing what she should answer. No one asked her that question before and taking her off guard, she pondered a bit more before saying, "I don't know. I never really thought about it. My number one priority has always been to take care of my family."

"There is nothing wrong with that. You have been doing a great job at taking care of your family…and me." he sheepishly smiled at the young woman. Nikita's lips curled upwards as she felt comforted; it was a bit embarrassing that know that Bruce have asked what she wanted to do with her future, she had no idea what to say. Bruce being Bruce comforted her that family always comes first and there was no shame in putting them first before herself.

Not thinking straight, Nikita embraced him tightly pressing her body closer to his. Bruce tensed as another wave of heat hit his cheeks. He awkwardly patted her back before he felt something through his thin shirt, "Um, Nikita."

"Yeah?"

"Uh, I don't know how to say this, but, um, your dress is thin and you just took a bath while it's still cold out and, uh…" he avoided her gaze as she peered up in him in question. When she let go of him, she saw him gesturing towards her upper body, looking down she asked, "What is-oh. Oh my goodness!" crossing her arms across her chest. It didn't occur to her that her nipples were standing at attention as she walked around in the cool air.

The weather felt nice and now seeing it peek through her dress was more than embarrassing and for Bruce to feel them through his shirt…Nikita groaned as she covered her face with one of her hands while the other covered her chest.

* * *

**I know Bruce isn't as popular as the other Avengers, but thank you so much for the support for this story. I know it seems dull at the moment and you guys are wondering when he is going to lose it...well he pretty much behaves when he goes into hiding before Natasha was sent to go retrieve him. So yeah, no Hulking out at the moment. Nikita on the other hand, will go through some things that will change her, for the better or worse. So stick around, things will get interesting. I promise.**  
** Review please. :)  
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**Thanks for the comments  
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**Arinlianette** (I feel bad for her too even though I am the one that made her that way. It would complicate things, but I wouldn't do it without complications haha complicated is my middle name. Thanks, Bruce doesn't see her that way...will her see her that way. Idk, we'll wait and see.)**  
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**Tiffy1525** (Thanks for the review. Hope you like this chapter.)

**BreezeInMonochromeNight** (Thank you so much.)


	5. On Your Own

"I can't believe you actually found a place for your clinic." Nikita muttered, "Almost seems unreal." Her dark green eyes wandered around the small, cramped, filthy place that was going to be turned into the only clinic proved useful around these parts.

Bruce smiled softly, excited that he would finally be on his own, doing what he loved to do and out of everyone's way in the process. The main thing he wanted was to get out of Nikita and her family's hair. He always felt out of place being there longer than necessary despite Nikita reassuring him he wasn't thought of like that.

In her words, Bruce has become like family. He almost flinched at the word, _family_. His definition of family was based very loosely because of his childhood, the only family that he had was his mother, his father on the other hand…he rather not talk about, the anger that built up over his father was just a waste of time. Biting the inside of his cheek, he circled around the small adobe, "Almost, but I made it happen all thanks to you and your family."

Nikita smiled, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come over…I still want to see you Bruce." Her instincts took over as she embraced the shy man tightly; inhaling his scent as she nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck, "Please visit us. We really do care about you."

Bruce didn't know what to say to that, after spending months with her family, it almost felt surreal that he was finally on his own. Not once has he hulked out which was great, it was probably the longest streak he had yet. Then a frown fell upon his face, "I'm sorry about your father. I wish I could have done more…"

Nikita shook her head, "Nonsense. You did the best you could, that's all we could have asked for."

During his stay, Bruce would stay with Kallol most of the time since the family would be off during the day making money. So, Bruce started to diagnose Kallol to see if he can help him in any way with the severe symptoms the man was dealing with. Sadly the older man was terminally ill and there was nothing he can do about it.

All anyone can do was to make his death less painful.

Nikita inhaled deeply, it could be days until her father died or it can take months. Now that it was settled, all her thoughts were thinking about when he was going to pass whether she was there or not.

Nikita didn't know what to say, but she didn't want to go. Her intentions was to stay as long as she could before leaving him be; she knew that he had a lot of work to do, maybe she can help the process move along faster. Licking her lips, she added, "If you ever need a translator, I can always help you or Jaya can help you since she wants to be in this field."

As soon as she said it, Bruce had a list of questions for the young woman, "Nikita," the woman hummed as an answer as she looked around the slum filled city, "Where _did_ you learn English? I thought people around here only spoke Bengali?"

All the woman did was shrug, "We all have our secrets, Dr. Banner. We just got lucky and learned the language."

Bruce wasn't buying it; someone from these parts wouldn't have time to be able to learn a different language much less English unless someone used to live here that knew English or Calcutta wasn't their native home. He kept a tight lip, nodding as to accept her statement before uttering his thanks for her assistance.

"Not a problem. Jaya and I could come tomorrow and help you fix up the place. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow." Something stuck out like a sore thumb now that he was around Nikita a lot more often. Her shifts for work have been sparse and she has been spending more time with her family. Was she getting laid off or was she demanding time off because of her father's illness, whatever it was Nikita seems to be a little quieter than usual.

Bruce was never a prying man, but when someone was acting odd, he wanted to help in any way he could. He just didn't know what he wanted to do.

On his first night at his clinic, it was a little bit colder than he would have expected it to be, shivers crawled down his spine as he covered himself in the blankets that Nikita and her family provided for him. Even though the older people in their household weren't too fond of Bruce, they still had enough compassion to let him have a few things of theirs so he can at least start off without starving.

He didn't want to think that the reason why it was so cold because of the lack of bodies that used to surround him at night. Bruce was never that kind of guy that would solely depend on people of that nature, but he did feel odd not having Nikita on one side and another family member on the other.

The Hulk suddenly was peeking out from his slumber from the thought of the young woman; Bruce withheld the beast as it tried to roam free. It wasn't like he was not used to losing sleep over this; his main fear was that the Hulk would have an advantage of taking over his body if he did lose consciousness and maybe he felt a little bit more comfortable during his sleep was because he found people he actually cared about.

The whole night Bruce kept the Hulk at bay, watching the sun rise up, he threw his blanket to the side of the clinic finally having the place illuminated enough for him to set things in place. After an hour of working around and organizing things so it would be easy access for him to start working, he heard hurried footsteps and before he knew it, two women were standing inside of his partially finished clinic. "Morning Bruce! How was your first night?" Jaya skipped closer to Bruce with a beaming smile as her eyes bounced around the clinic.

Bruce smiled softly, he loved that Jaya was so enthusiastic about the place, "It was good. Slept like a baby."

His eyes quickly caught onto the beat up wagon that Nikita dragged in, the contents was covered with a blanket; Bruce assumed Nikita caught his curious stare as she answered, "You would be surprised what people would do if they saw that we had medication on us."

Smoothly, Nikita pulled it closer to Bruce before unveiling the contents, almost every single medicine and equipment that he needed was there. "If you need anything else or need to restock, just tell me and I will gladly get more."

Bruce didn't know if Nikita would actually follow through, but she did. His dark eyes widened in shock as he stared up at the woman in wonder, "How did you? Where did you get this?" Picking up a few bottles reading the labels, clearly this stuff was from a hospital since all of the bottles were labeled.

"I have connections." Nikita replied.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't know a lot about her; Nikita always kept a tight lip when it came to certain things about herself. Nikita already built an image for Bruce and having him know everything there is to know about her would probably cause him to be cautious of her or wouldn't want anything to do with her. She didn't want to lose her only friend here.

Nikita felt relieved that Bruce didn't push the subject any further. "Why don't Jaya and I put these things away while you relax? You seem a little worn down…"Nikita leaned in closer to avoid Jaya from listening in on them, "You sure you're okay?"

Bruce forced a smile, "Never better."

She didn't look convinced as she saw the dark circles around his eyes and he looked like he was going to sleep standing up. Nikita ushered Bruce to the other side of the clinic that was already done, telling him that he should take a nap while they finished up. The scientist protested, but Nikita was stubborn, she refused to let him lift a finger until he had a twenty minute nap.

"Go to sleep. I'll wake you up in twenty."

He didn't believe her; there was something that made him think that she would let him rest longer than that. Nikita just made empty promises to get her way, simple yet effective. Bruce didn't want to fight as he closed his eyes for a minute and slowly fell asleep.

Nikita instantly felt bad for Bruce when she walked into the clinic, he already looked worn down and beaten up by being here alone. "Do you think he's going to be fine alone, Jaya?"

Jaya sighed as she filled up one of the stations with equipment, "He's fine, Kita. You worry way too much."

"But-"

"He's a grown man, he can take care of himself and he already has us helping him. There is no need to get motherly on him unless…" Jaya trailed off as she turned around with an amused expression on her face, "You _like_ him." Jaya's eyes followed the tense movements of her sister's, she gasped. Pointing a finger at the shy woman, "I _knew_ you had feelings for Banner! I-"

"Shhh! Shut up, Jay!" Nikita hissed, quickly she switched to their native tongue as she whispered; "My feelings are merely a crush. It will pass."

Jaya rolled her eyes, "Why don't I believe you? Is it that hard to admit that you have feelings for an _American man_?" Nikita pursed her lips as she continued to work quietly, the smirk that was on Jaya's face disappeared. Something was wrong. She can feel her sister getting tensed and worried over the simplest of teasing.

"Kita…I hope you know I was joking-"

"It's not that." Nikita cut in, "It's just…Bruce is a _wanderer_, Jaya. I know if I get attached he will probably hurt me in the end, but I don't know how to stop my feelings. To switch them off so I only see him as a friend."

"Bruce is setting up a clinic here; there is no way he is going to leave."

"Anyone can leave, Jay. Bruce will probably get tired of this place and move on…everyone does." Nikita didn't want to think so bitterly, but after a talk with her father last night, he made her see the other side of things.

Reality's side.

If Nikita didn't stop her feelings from growing, she will only end up hurt in the end and she didn't think she would want to deal with such emotions when everyone in her family depended on her to provide for them. Her occupation ensured small benefits here and there for certain things they need, especially for her father.

Jaya didn't like how grim Nikita turned out to be; she was usually the positive one and she was so excited to see Bruce when she woke up this morning. What happened on their way over here that has made her so gloom?

"Not all people are the same, Kita. Maybe he'll be different."

Nikita sighed, "Just drop it, Jay." Quietly, the two continued to put things together. It was an awkward few hours, with the occasional question of where they should put something, they were both silent. Nikita stole a few glances at the sleeping scientist before she finished up the work for the day.

Suddenly she didn't feel like being there anymore.

When Bruce woke up, he wiped the grogginess out of his eyes as the blaring sun hit his face. "Hey you're up!"

The quiet man nodded, as he blinked a few times to see that Jaya was sitting on the other side of the clinic minding her own business. Without really thinking about it, he questioned where Nikita was. Jaya looked bitter at his question, "She decided to go home…she wasn't _feeling_ well."

"Is she alright? She wasn't showing any signs of severe case of the flu, has she?" Bruce noticed that a bug was going on Calcutta at the moment. He knew that even a small disease can cause a huge problem in a village like this.

Jaya shook her head, "Nope. She just went to get some rest before she headed to work for the day." The younger sister could see that Bruce looked a bit bothered that Nikita decided not to stay; Nikita did promise to help him out a little even after bringing the essential things that he needed.

"Cheer up, Bruce. She'll come back, but for now how about we go around and see if anyone needs our help?"

At least Jaya was kind enough to stay behind; Bruce didn't know what he would do without a translator. He would be doomed from the start and probably will take him ages before he found someone that was bilingual. Jaya quickly took Bruce up on his feet and chatted to him about the several cases that she found while she was out the other day.

It seems that Jaya was taking it more seriously than he anticipated, having a list of people that needed his help. So gathering the necessities, Jaya led the way to the houses that needed the most help first and worked their way to the ones that had the minimum symptoms.

The whole time, Bruce had a feeling that he wasn't going to see Nikita for quite a while and there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that wouldn't go away.

* * *

**Thank you for the love and so sorry for being gone for like three months...lost my muse there. I hope I will be able to keep up the updates more frequently even though school started and getting back into the swing of things. **

**I like to thank everyone for following, reviewing, and reading my story.  
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**Sari89** (Thanks. Sorry for the long wait and hope you like this chapter just as much as the other ones.)**  
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**S.R.457** (I can't tell you if he is going to have a happy ending, but i have heard that most Bruce stories on here, he ends up alone or has a sad ending, don't know where I am going to do with it when it comes to endings.)**  
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**BreezeInMonochromeNight** (Well things are going smoothly so far, but Bruce has his struggles we all know that. Let's see how this turns out. I am really excited where this is going.)**  
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